SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 18, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A three-alarm house fire east of downtown Salt Lake City Wednesday night may be related to a drug bust at the residence just 24 hours prior to the blaze.
Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay said crews were dispatched to the scene at 264 S. 1000 East at about 10 p.m. and found the back of the residence and a nearby garage engulfed in flame.
“Our crews went into a defensive mode,” Asay said. “We fought the fire from the outside. We had some challenges. There were some high trees that really got in the way. We had to maneuver around them.
“As we continued to fight the fire, we realized we needed more resources here,” Asay said. “So we went to a third alarm. That way we could have additional apparatus here and additional firefighters here, and we were able to rotate our firefighters out.”
About 45 firefighters were on the scene, Asay said.
“We still need to get the fire completely out, then make sure it is safe to have our investigators go in. We’ll be here for quite some time still.”
When asked if the fire was suspicious in origin, Asay told Gephardt Daily investigators were interviewing neighbors, but a definitive cause would not be available until arson investigators could fully assess the scene.
A Gephardt Daily search of police records reveals a search warrant for an alleged marijuana growing operation had been served at the home Tuesday night at 10 p.m.
Salt Lake City police said they confiscated 70 pot plants from the backyard of the residence and approximately four pounds of dried marijuana inside the home.
Nathaniel Harris, age 39, was taken into custody on a variety of drug charges and made bail Wednesday.
